Seeing that the two little ones were safe, Daelin said, "Tirion, you've raised a fine son! He's a responsible young man! He's awakened the power of the Holy Light at such a young age, and his Holy Light is special, too! He'll definitely become a Paladin who surpasses you!"
The two men then led the children out of the sewers and paid a late-night visit to Archmage Antonidas, handing the attacker over for questioning. The magical kingdom was highly efficient once it sprang into action. They quickly concluded that the attacker was a Dragonkin, a subordinate of the Black Dragon, whose purpose had been to divide the Alliance! The Dragonkin General was then subjected to all manner of magical interrogation, including mental torture.
A few days later, Mr. Prestor, the Dragon Aspect of the Black Dragonflight, was in Lordaeron City when he suddenly found himself caught in the crossfire! His disguise had been exposed, so he had no choice but to give up on becoming Prince Arthas's brother-in-law and leave Lordaeron!
By the time Tirion Fordring and Daelin emerged from the Violet Citadel with the two children, it was already late at night! Daelin and Tirion agreed to meet again the following day!
They were both utterly exhausted! From the moment they realized the children were missing, they'd followed the trail all the way to the second level of the sewers, where they finally found them.
Tirion Fordring led Taelan back to the Hero Tavern. Seeing how tired his son was, Tirion didn't ask him anything. He simply told him to take a hot bath and get some rest!
"Ding! Congratulations, you've completed the quest:
Jaina's Redemption (Legendary)
First-stage quest.
You've reached level 6 and gained one skill point. You have 5 skill points remaining.
You gained 5 points of Stamina and 5 points of Intelligence.
You gained 30 points of World Power. Your World Power has accumulated to 60 points. When you reach level 10, you'll advance to Hero and unlock a brand-new character attributes interface.
You've gained Lady Katherine Proudmoore's favor.
You've gained Master Krasus's goodwill!"
Master Krasus's goodwill? It had to be because his actions had exposed Deathwing's identity ahead of time, saving the Archmage's two fingers.
What made Taelan Fordring happiest was that he could learn another skill! Diablo's skill system had a new tier every six levels. Characters learned new skills at levels 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30! Every new skill would make him stronger.
He opened the skill tree and put one point into each of Holy Bolt and Contempt.
Holy Bolt
Fire a holy bolt to strike your enemies or heal your allies.
Current skill level: 8
Magic damage: 64–72
Healing: 33–74
Mana cost: 2.4
Contempt
When enabled, increases your and your allies' defense rating.
Current skill level: 8
Radius: 20 yards
Defense bonus: +140%
Skills in Diablo's skill tree enhanced one another. Holy Bolt benefited from Prayer, Blessed Hammer, and Fist of the Heavens. Prayer increased Holy Bolt's healing, while Blessed Hammer and Fist of the Heavens increased its magic damage. It would only show its true power once he learned those skills or acquired equipment that increased magic damage.
The system had also strengthened this skill, allowing it to attack enemies other than the undead. That seemed more reasonable.
Taelan had put a point into Contempt partly to expand his skill pool, but more importantly, it would boost another essential Paladin skill: Holy Shield.
Taelan suddenly remembered that this quest had another reward: the epic Jaina's Pendant. This piece of equipment granted a powerful ability equivalent to a Town Portal scroll.
Taelan shouted in his mind, System, you're swiping my gear!
"Ding! This system is fair and impartial and would never swipe any equipment. The reward will be issued at the appropriate time!"
There was nothing he could do! Taelan could only open the newly appeared Nephalem's Hut (Level 1) option.
There were only two items in the shop. One was called Attribute Dice, and the other was also called Attribute Dice!
Attribute Dice
Quality: Excellent
Use: Randomly grants you one attribute point.
Price: 10 Points
The perfect choice for escaping bachelorhood!
The second item was just like the first:
Attribute Dice
Quality: Excellent
Use: Randomly grants you one attribute point.
Price: 10 Points
A long health bar is what makes you feel safe!
The rest of the page was filled with question marks! The system explained that the goods refreshed once a month, and if he missed them, he'd have to wait a month. The Nephalem's Hut also had a level requirement. It seemed that he'd have to level up to unlock new items.
These two dice increased base attributes, so they were very useful to Taelan right now. The lower the level, the greater the effect of increasing base attributes. So Taelan spent his only twenty Points to buy them.
"Ding! You spent 20 Points. Nephalem's Hut gained 20 experience!"
So spending points earned experience. Taelan tried asking, "System, can I exchange Lordaeron Gold Coins for Points?"
Maybe I can borrow some money from Dad!
"I am the righteous Nephalem Guidance System! Money cannot corrupt my sense of justice! Unless it's Arcane Crystals!"
It seemed that paying to get stronger wasn't an option! Arcane Crystals were magical gems that mages coveted. Not only were they rare, they were a byproduct, with no fixed source. Getting one was purely a matter of luck.
Taelan had no choice but to buy the two Attribute Dice. Before he'd even seen what they looked like, the system notification appeared: You used Attribute Dice. You gained 1 point of Charisma and 1 point of Stamina.
So that's what the lines underneath meant! System, you still think I'm ugly! You keep making me increase my Affinity—my looks!
At least he'd already seen how Affinity worked. Jaina's reluctant little glances when they parted were proof! It could make Taelan as handsome as a reader, someone they could easily imagine themselves as!
Taelan went over the battle from that night again. It taught him that the people of this world weren't NPCs in a game. They had feelings of their own and could think. They would make different choices in different situations. His power was still insignificant, so he'd have to act cautiously from now on. Gaining World Power meant taking on the risks that came with it. Once he'd thought it through, exhaustion from the battle washed over him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Taelan got up as usual. First, he practiced swordsmanship, then he tested his newly learned skill, Holy Bolt. It was a ranged attack that could be cast instantly and repeatedly.
The advantage of Diablo's skill system over World of Warcraft's was the short cast delay and windup. The Highlord called them cooldowns and cast times. Skills with a global cooldown were incredibly frustrating. Having to wait for every skill to come back around was maddening! Most Diablo skills had only a brief casting delay. Take the Paladin's ultimate skill at level 30, Fist of the Heavens: its casting delay was only 0.4 seconds!
Taelan raised his right hand and activated the skill. Milky-white light burst from it, and a white orb shot out at incredible speed, hitting the target he'd prepared—a piece of wood. Holy Bolt smashed it to pieces with a small explosion and a sharp pop, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
"What was that? A Holy Missile?" a loud voice called.
Taelan Fordring turned around. A small figure came running from a distance, her chubby little hand grabbing the hem of his clothes. The morning sun shone on Miss Jaina Proudmoore's golden hair. She wore a pretty little blue dress. "Taelan, aren't you a Paladin? How come you can use Magic Missile?"
Taelan Fordring politely greeted the source of the loud voice. "Good morning, Uncle Daelin!" Then he turned to Jaina. "Jaina, that wasn't Magic Missile. It should be called Holy Bolt."
Jaina said, "Can you teach me how to do that? I want to do it too!" She copied Taelan's movements, raising her chubby little hand. She made a "pop" sound, then giggled.
Daelin came over and placed his big hands on the children's heads, ruffling their hair. Then he said to Taelan in a low voice, "You work as hard as Derek did!"
Taelan Fordring knew that Derek was Daelin Proudmoore's eldest son. If he were still alive, he would surely have been Kul Tiras's next Grand Admiral. During the Second War, he had led his warships alone in a valiant fight against the Horde, only to die beneath the Life Breath of a Red Dragon.
The princes of Azeroth never seemed to have happy endings. There were Derek Proudmoore, Arthas Menethil, Othmar Garithos, and Liam. Even Varian's fate hadn't been much better. In his youth, his kingdom had fallen and his family had been lost. Later, his beloved wife had died at the hands of Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess. In middle age, he'd become a gladiator and fought to the death. Just when he'd finally become the Alliance's High King, he'd fallen victim to Gul'dan's plot!
Daelin said wistfully, "When Derek was your age, he also got up early every morning to practice his combat skills."
Taelan Fordring added, "Later, he became an excellent captain and fought for our world!"
"You know about him?"
"Yes. I read a book about the Orc Wars. It said Derek was still very young when he independently led a fleet against the Orcs, fighting so bravely that the Horde's navy fled in disarray."
Daelin said wistfully, "That's right! If not for the Dragon Knights of the Dragonmaw Clan, Derek would have lived a long and happy life."
Jaina said, "Father, I'll be a captain someday too, and I'll fight the Orcs. Just like my brother."
Daelin stroked Jaina's silky golden hair and boomed, "No, you can't be a captain. Archmage Antonidas says you have an exceptionally strong talent for magic. You'll become a mage! An Archmage."
He'd rather have his daughter stay safe in a study or laboratory! Even having her marry and stay in the kitchen would be better!
Here are two chapters in a row! Hope you enjoy reading!
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Before you continue